Thursday, April 3, 2025

I Like Thursday # 445 Easter dresses, sewing, memories of a poodle

 

welcome to this weeks (short) list of likes.... starting with my  parasol finished block. 

not large but very happy, I made three stand alone blocks one year, and this one sits on mantel for spring

still life.... I love fresh fruit, honey crisp apples navel oranges 
I made citrus salad again, and this week made waldorf apple/ walnut/grape salad
the goddess behind is Venus de garlic, and of course part of my cow collection

love cool weather   it returned for a few days here: 

DH looked at the sprigs of grass pushing through the snow and said "Colorado, where you keep the mower and snow blower out most of the year" 

also from the back sliding door... from my blogging perch I can look out and this week watched our yard bunny come onto the porch, climb into and around that turquoise pot, hop out and peer into the back door. 

She sat up, put two tiny furry feet onto the glass, and peered in, then peered closer.... I said Hi honey
she hopped off but we've seen her eating the new grass instead of the apple peels tossed under the tree

Sewing

I love handwork so I am happy to sew back binding by hand on my latest quilt finish, then add beads. 

 I take a free pull out drawer to hold things like this to take down to the TV room, needle/thread/beads and quilt to sew the binding to the back with a sleeve. Detail pics on Saturday's creativity round up post

23" X 20"  no quilt too small to over stitch! 

Fine Dining

we tried this frozen dinner and loved it. It is spicy but not too spicy, and savory and full of flavor. The only bad thing was we each ate what they thought was two servings, we weren't stuffed after. We'll get them again for sure

 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087MFFGYX?smid=A1D39GE38S7HBC&almBrandId=VUZHIFdob2xlIEZvb2Rz&psc=1&fpw=alm


On TV  anyone watching Survivor, Amazing Race and American Idol? what do you think? 


 This artist sells home goods with her pretty spring color/designs


Want these after seeing a Korean artist using them this week (from amazon) bamboo watercolor brushes


literal Easter dress

conversation starter this week

as a youngster or teen,  did you get a new dress, hat  or shoes for  Easter?  go to church or have big family gatherings? Do you mark the holiday now in some way?

after all,   we are all antique little girls  under all the adult-ing we do  

It was a big ritual every year in our house. New clothes and shoes for Easter (can't wear those worn out brown school shoes with a pretty dress) and being the youngest/'now only I got a dress, socks that fit usually with a bit of lace, new shiny patent leather shoes, hat, tiny white gloves, and sometimes a child purse. I have one pic of me age 3 dressed like that crying. The mother said I was mad because I had to wait til after church for my candy basket. 

pretty... I'd wear this now

We went to the formal turn of the century Methodist church and had family luncheon after. As I got older, and drove, I went to sunrise services by myself. I LOVE a dress, still, even though colorado is so very casual. I'm the only one in a skirt or dress around here. Can't wear fancy shoes with all my injuries nowadays but fondly remember the kitten heel shoes I had about grade 8 or 9. 

I like these colors and that coat... horizontal stripes? no...

remembering Milo this Easter

Milo here, I like it when Mama plants a squirrel/bunny/chipmunk trap out back! 

Mama: MILO! what are you talking about?

Milo: when you plant veggies, all the critters show up for dinner! 

Mama: well they're disappointed... what veggies do you like? 

Milo: Oh I like a lot of what you like, I like them cooked with butter too. Potatoes, carrots, cabbage, any beans especially lima's... no asparagus though. 

Another of my likes is destruction

It's not like eating but it's so much fun and so satisfying to hear that r i i i i p p p p sound! 

now please visit these fine folks to read their lists

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Friday, March 28, 2025

Stay at Home Round Robin quilt finish!

 

Our House
Here is my 2025 Stay at home Round Robin quilt... 
done with our choice of centers 

Mine is a cottage with garden and dog! 

then we were given 6 more prompts to add rows to our quilts 

This image shows the "crown block, which I interpreted as an actual crown, appliqueing the motif from my mary englebreit fabric, princess of quilt a lot, plus a heart... I love her fabric prints and cut out several motifs to use on my center

Another prompt was slicing into a block and inserting another fabric, in the image below it is the grasses with yo yo's for flowers. 
The pinwheel blocks were another prompt, mine went on two sides.


I rearranged some rows to fit together into a unified whole scene... I repeated the black and white accents several times, including the fabric at the bottom which I see as a pond, and the binding 

I fought with the old mechanical Bernina to do the quilting, both walking foot and free motion, and just as I was putting on the binding the needle platform broke and the needle couldn't go up and down. Back to the travel Janome Gem (please sew through all the layers...
and miracles! it did! I had already added in the sleeve, so there were a lot of layers to stitch through. I sewed the binding to the backing by hand, and loved seeing the wee flowers on the black and white as I sewed
this image shows the quarter log cabin blocks (another prompt) and the white strips with teensy star blocks on four corners
as well as the kite blocks along the top. These were pieced improvisationally, and tiny tails added from fringe trim
trim for kite tails, and backing fabric
most of the prints in this quilt are from repro 1930's prints, M.E. fabric lines. The house was a pattern from 


a close up of the free motion work



this image from a prior stay at home round robin quilt says so much


more is more, and I might, possibly add in some beads later, maybe in center of yo yo's, or around the house, but for now it's done and I'm so happy to have taken on the challenge. 
I love getting ideas for rows, it makes my quilts more fun to see, and it makes me work through the creative process instead of just adding fabric rows. 

I am grateful for the experience and the people who work so hard to bring this to us each year. 

Check out all the finishes on this site, Quilting Gail quilting gail

The cottage   finished at approx 33 " square

for the Rainbow scrap challenge folk, all yellow fabrics are from small scraps of yellow 

linking with 

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Thursday, March 27, 2025

I Like Thursday # 444 the town you grew up in, art, food, books

 

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime....at least the temps and sun are HOT already, and you know how I dislike feeling hot... but I pulled out this cute quilt as it's cheerful on the easel in the entry!

On with the show.... 

More shadow art... transient, moving with the earth, caught in an instant

looks like handwriting to me

from here
back door to yard

love this haircut

from videos of a stylist in Italy who does short cuts
I had a cut like this once, and the stylist couldn't remember how to do it, so.... 

want this

Fine Dining

we made hawaiian pretzel bites, and they are yummy! the dough was perfect
Reading
the latest Rhys Bowen "Her royal spyness" book

please don't check it out before I'm finished, LOL!
Listening to audio books new to me series



On TV amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol, and a few series on PBS 

On youtube:

animals like music, this is heartwarming and he sings to all kinds of animals. The parrots bob their heads to the beat and dance around



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Iu85jI08W4


want to lower your BP? want to see bunnies and chicken sleeping together peacefully? and a cat?

 


our prompt

What was growing up in your hometown like? 


Tampa seemed like a typical American town back then. I grew up in Seminole Heights, now a heritage area, a quiet suburb well in the city but not downtown. The woolworth with it's luncheonette was downtown. 

A lot of people took buses around, and our house was between the elementary school and high school, making both of them within walking distance. It was safe but had less kids as a lot of the homes were original buyers and older. 

my Hillsborough High School

Downtown had a movie theater that was air conditioned and had ornate ceilings, stage, velvet curtains and a star studded ceiling. We could walk on sidewalks to the pool and library near the Jr High. Our high school was the oldest in Tampa and beautiful but NOT air conditioned. 

It was hot most of the time but I was mostly outside if I had play time, biking and skate boarding and painting on the opening of our car port. The homes were built around the turn to the 20t century, with sidewalks connecting all of us, tiny one car garages in the back, accessible by alley's that also held trash cans. 

I enjoyed visiting with our neighbors, going to Gasparilla parades and the state fair, playing with the kids around us. I remember once having a sandspur war, do you know what sand spurs are? Horrible weeds with tiny brittle spikes that grow tall and can be flung by silly kids.  


Nearby was Fairy land, or Lowry park with tiny fairy tale houses and animals and places to hold birthday parties. There were also pavilions where families came for parties, putting up little lights at night, and my sister's birthday was celebrated there once. Night time, lots of music and teens dancing, food, cake... 

cakes were home made usually, parties were full of kid games and cheap gifts and frilly dresses. We belonged to the local Methodist church near the elementary school, a huge blond brick ediface that had uncomfortable seats and hymnals on the back of the one in front of you.  Most people lived quiet lives with little excitement but a lot of interaction. 

Most of us vacationed at the near by beaches which had stores to buy floaties and coppertone suntan lotion, a pier with ancient old men fishing, palm trees and kids galore. 

It was safe for kids back then, I didn't know any family who had guns, we felt safe to roam, even riding our bikes to downtown on the interstate while it was being built through our neighborhood, eventually going North. 

Tampa had a Cuban historic area, as we were known for cigar making among other things. Ybor City was full of fun, nearby was Tarpon Springs a Greek community, also fun with great food. Tampa was diverse making it culturally rich.  

coming soon, the post on a quilt finish... I love how it came out
a sneak peek

please visit these folk to see what they liked this week, tell me in comments if you want your post linked up
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Saturday, March 22, 2025

My creative week with a finished challenge piece and a finished top for another challenge

 

For this week, I'll start with my entry into the Project Quilting prompt to "button it up" 

I pulled out the button box for inspiration and the yellow scrap box. I knew I wanted to make a sculpture of sorts, a 3-D box maybe....


starting with this small piece that looks painted

Three pieces of peltex stabilizer cut 3" X 5" and placed them with a small space for folding. 
glued the fabric over edges 
For lining, I put a slightly smaller strip then pulled the yellow fabric over to cover the raw edges and quilted it. 
folded it into thirds and stitched the side together with embroidery floss. Traced the bottom onto peltex and cut out the triangle shape, covered it with fabric and hand stitched the base on. 


not easy

now for some button embellishments 
A button, then a bead over that, then fringe of beads through the first bead
Whee! movement and sparkle


sun button with a dangle
third side, heart button with gold bead on top



I spent quality time with my friend Cindy last Sunday via FT. 
We both stitched on our projects as we visited, almost like a bee... I originally thought I would do a small hand project and add beads... 
an 8" square scrap, batting, and then I stitched scrap strips on with embroidery floss...
until I realized you wouldn't notice them on a print so I never sewed them on

and batting wouldn't be stiff enough to make a box. so I went ahead and put on a binding

now what to do with that? 


Also this week I got my Stay at home round robin top together after a lot of designing and changing it.

I just realized the finished quilt is due really soon, so Hopefully I get it layered and pin basted this weekend and do the quilting enough to finish it. It's challenging to use that older Bernina that won't do free motion well. 

It really is so cute with the prompts from Quilting Gail and her talented crew... 
It would be done if I felt more physically able. Still it's a challenge and that's a good thing! 

I put my bunny parade on the mantel for Spring... each one made with felt, stuffed, and hand embroidered on each side... they make me smile. (whole mantel shot on Thursday's I Like post)


cute yellow chair at IKEA!
all the yellow was for rainbow scrap challenge this month who's color is YELLOW. 

wish me luck getting the SAHRR quilted this weekend! 


the bottom fabric didn't work... 

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